Best GTX 1660 Card for 1080p Gaming & Work in 2020

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GeForce GTX 1660 is the second card in the GeForce GTX 16 series from Nvidia. The card comes after GTX 1660 Ti and is based on the Turing GPU architecture with a 12nm manufacturing process. GTX 1660 is basically a cut-down version of GTX 1660 Ti with GDDR5 memory. It shares the same GPU core, which is TU116 but comes with 1408 CUDA Cores, which is 128 CUDA Cores less than in GTX 1660 Ti. The memory type on this card is also lowered down, as it comes with 6GB GDDR5 memory having 192-bit interface, running at 8Gbps clock speed. The reference GPU Base and Boost clock speed of this card are 1530 MHz and 1785 MHz respectively. The power consumption of this card stands at 120W, which is the same as GTX 1660 Ti, and it also requires an 8-pin PCIe connector for power.

This is a VR Ready card and comes with the same features that you can find in GTX 1660 Ti, which includes support for DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.5, Vulkan, GPU Boost, G-Sync, Nvidia Ansel, FP16 cores, Adaptive Shading. Also, like its bigger brother i.e. GTX 1660 Ti, the card does not have RT cores for Realtime Ray Tracing and Tensor Cores for AI and DLSS. However, for general gaming, you don’t need these fancy features, which are supported by a couple of games only, and even in them, they are not implemented perfectly.

The performance of GTX 1660 is somewhat lower than GTX 1660 Ti, but it is faster than GTX 1060 6GB and performs equal to Radeon RX 590. This budget mid-range graphics card is capable of running all your favorite gaming titles including AAA ones on ultra-graphics settings at 1080p at 60+ FPS on average. It is also quite capable of running games at 1440p with playable frame rates (40-50FPS), but you may have to tone down some of the graphics settings. The card is available from different graphics card manufacturers in different form factors, budget or pricing with varying clock speeds and cooler types. So, if you are confused about which GTX 1660 card is best for you, then here I am going to list down the best GTX 1660 cards for your specific requirements or needs.

Best Budget GTX 1660 for Money

If you are on a strict budget and want one of the cheapest GTX 1660 models, then EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 XC Black GAMING is the card for you. It is a kind of a base variant or standard GTX 1660 card that runs on reference GPU clock speeds of 1530 MHz for the base and 1785 MHz for the boost. This a 2.75 slot card and will consume three slots on your motherboard and PC case. The card comes with a fat heatsink with copper heat pipes. There is a single fan on the heatsink that helps in cooling down the card, and it does the job very well in keeping temperatures in check.

The card requires one 8-pin PCIe connector for power, and the total power draw is rated at 130 Watts, which is 10 Watts more than the reference design of GTX 1660. Also, the power limit of the card is locked at 130W, and this limits the overclocking potential of this card. However, you can overclock this card to 1830 MHz GPU boost clock without any issues, using the EVA Precision X1 software. A 550W PSU is recommended for this card, but it can work pretty well on a 450W PSU too. Display connectivity options include DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI port at the rear end of the card.

Note: A pre-overclocked model of this card is available as EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 XC GAMING with GPU Boost clock speed of 1830 MHz, while other specifications, design, and features remain the same. You can view both the models from the links below, and they cost roughly the same.

If you want a budget GTX 1660 card with dual fans then Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G is a perfect choice. This is an OC card and comes with GPU Boost Clock speed of 1830 MHz, which is 45MHz higher than the reference card. The card has a dual-slot design, which means it will occupy only two slots on your motherboard and PC case. The card comes with WINDFORCE 2X Cooling System that has got heatsink with Heatpipe, having direct contact with GPU, and two alternate spinning fans with unique fan blade design for higher and focused airflow. The two fans spin in the opposite direction to reduce turbulence and enhancing airflow pressure for better cooling performance.

The 3D Active Fan technology of this card provides semi-passive cooling that keeps the fans shut off during low load or idle to provide completely silent performance, and they start automatically when you play a demanding game or when the load on the GPU increases. The card also comes with a protection backplate to provide rigidity. The card requires one 8-pin PCI-E power connector and a 450W PSU for its working. Display connectivity ports at the rear include three DisplayPort and one HDMI port. You can overclock this card further using Gigabyte AORUS Engine or other good overclocking software.

Best Dual Fan GTX 1660

[Great Looks, Quiet, Faster, RGB Lighting]

If you want both looks and performance then MSI GeForce GTX 1660 GAMING X 6G is the right card for you. This is the best dual fan GTX 1660 card that offers great performance and comes with RGB lighting. This is a highly overclocked card with GPU Boost clock speed of 1860 MHz, which is 75MHz higher than the reference card. The MSI TWIN FROZR Thermal design of this card consists of a heatsink with concentrated heatpipes for maximum heat transfer and effectiveness. The dual fans (TORX Fan 3.0) of this card comes with dispersion and traditional fan blade design for increasing both airflow and static pressure to maximize cooling performance.

The Zero Frozr technology on this card stops the fans from spinning during low load or idle, as long the temperature remains below 60°C, for completely silent operation. However, during intense gaming or high GPU load, fans start automatically to keep the card cool. Even when running continuously, the fans are very quiet and make this card a very silent performer, and due to this it also qualifies as the most silent GTX 1660 card too. The card also gets a metal backplate that gives it extra strength and rigidity. The RGB lighting on the card can be synced and controlled using the MSI Mystic Light Sync software. Just like other GTX 1660 cards, it also requires one 8-pin PCIe connector for power and a good 450W PSU for its working. Display connectivity options include three DisplayPort and one HDMI port. You may also overclock this card further or fine tune the settings using the MSI Afterburner GPU overclocking and monitoring software.

Best Compact GTX 1660 [SFF]

[Single Fan Compact GTX 1660, 178mm Length]

If you are looking for a small form factor GTX 1660 card for your SFF case, HTPC or small form factor build then MSI GeForce GTX 1660 AERO ITX 6G OC can serve your purpose. It is one of the most compact GTX 1660 cards, with a length of 178mm, and can fit in almost all the mini-ITX and SFF cases (excluding low profile / slim cases). The card comes with a single large fan over a heatsink with Heatpipe. This is a dual-slot card, which means it does cover two slots on your motherboard and computer case. This is an overclocked card with GPU clock speed of 1830 MHz, which is a pretty decent overclock for the card of this size.

The power consumption of this card is rated at 130W, and it requires an 8-pin PCI-Express connector, and 450W PSU for its proper working. Display connectivity ports at the rear include one DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI. A non-overclocked version of this card is also available as MSI GeForce GTX 1660 AERO ITX 6G with a slightly lower price tag.

[Single Fan Compact Design, 174mm length]

Here we have another single fan compact GTX 1660 card, which is ASUS Phoenix GeForce GTX 1660 OC edition. The card is only 174mm in length, which makes it a little shorter than the above mentioned MSI GeForce GTX 1660 AERO ITX 6G OC. It is an OC edition card with GPU Boost frequency of 1830 MHz. The card is dual slot and comes with a basic heatsink without any heat pipes. However, it has a better fan that comes with dual ball bearing and is IP5X Dust Resistant. Due to its ultra-compact design, the card can fit all mini-ITX and SFF cases (except slim ones). As with other GTX 1660 cards, it also requires one 8-pin PCIe power connector and a 450W PSU. Display connectivity options include one DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI port.

[Dual Fan Compact GTX 1660, 173mm Length]

If you want a compact GTX 1660 card with dual fans for better cooling then ZOTAC GAMING GeForce GTX 1660 is the perfect card. The card is only 173.4mm in length and can fit in almost any small form factor or mini-TX case unless it is a low profile one. For cooling, the card comes with a heatsink with copper heatpipes and Dual Offset Fans for maximum cooling performance. Here, one fan is smaller in size with curved fan blades for providing high static pressure, while the other one is bigger with wide fan blades for delivering high airflow. The combination of these two fans results in slightly better cooling than the traditional setup of fans.

The card power consumption is rated at 120W, and it needs one 8-pin PCIe connector and 450W power supply for its working. At the rear, you will get three DisplayPort and one HDMI port for display connectivity. The card runs at reference or stock frequencies, which is 1530 / 1785 MHz for Base / Boost, but due to its better cooler, you can overclock this card to higher frequencies using Zotac FireStorm or other good overclocking software.

Best Overclocked GTX 1660

[Triple Fan Design, 6+2 power phase, Great Performance]

If you want a highly overclockable GTX 1660 card with triple fan cooling then just go for Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 GAMING OC 6G. The card comes with 6+2 VRM power phase design that provides super stability during higher overclocking (Reference card is 3+1 power phase). The card sports Gigabyte WINDFORCE 3X Cooling System that comprises of a big heatsink with copper heatpipes that has direct contact with the GPU and three alternate spinning fans (middle fan spins in opposite direction) with unique blade design for providing higher airflow and static pressure for better cooling performance.

This OC edition card comes with GPU Boost clock speed of 1860 MHz, and you can overclock this card further because of its much better cooler with three fans. The 3D Active Fan feature on this card provides semi-passive cooling, in which the fans remain turned off during low load or idle, and they start again automatically when the load on the GPU increases, during gaming, benchmarking or working with GPU intensive applications.

The card also features RGB lighting that can be synced and controlled using the Gigabyte RGB Fusion 2.0 software. A metal backplate protects the card and gives it extra rigidity, strength and prevents it from bending. The card has dual slot design only but is a bit longer at 280mm compared to the other GTX 1660 cards. For power, the card requires an 8-pin PCI-e connector only and a 450W PSU. Display connectivity options at the rear include three DisplayPort and an HDMI port.

There is no doubt that GTX 1660 is a remarkable card for the price, and is great for mainstream 1080p gaming. The card is better than GTX 1060 and is also very power efficient. It consumes way less power than Radeon RX 590, which is a major competitor of this card from AMD. The 6GB video memory on this card is sufficient for running AAA games on ultra settings at 1080p resolution. So, if you want to buy a good budget graphics card for your new build or want to upgrade to better from GTX 1050 Ti, GTX 1050, GTX 960, RX 560, RX 460, without spending too much then GTX 1660 is the perfect gaming card for you. If you have got any queries regarding it, then please ask them in the comment section below.

About The Author

I am a PC Gamer and a Hardware Enthusiast. I love Graphics Cards and I have been digging them since GeForce 3 series. I have done M.Tech in IT and B.E. in Computer Science & Engineering.

10 Comments

Marcus RoqueFebruary 14, 2020

Hi Mr. Verma. I ended up buying a Galax gtx 1660 OC. Combine with my AMD fx 8320@4.0 GHz and 16GB (ddr3@1600MHz), it will play 4k footage on Windows 10. But I still can’t preview 4k smoothly over Vegas 17 pro timelime. All I have is a stuttering an laging playback wihich makes impossible to edit. I’ll feel very frustrated. I should also mentioned that I install a pair of Crucial 240GB SSDs 500/MBs read and right both for the OS and data disk,

Hopefully, together with the Nvidia GTX 1660 OC, this PC will be powerful enough to run a basic to intemediary 4k editing.

Your thoughts about it will be very welcome.

Cheers

Akshat VermaFebruary 18, 2020

I think B450 motherboard is good enough for Ryzen 7 2700X and you can invest the saved money in buying another 8GB RAM Stick. For the motherboard, I would suggest GIGABYTE B450 AORUS Elite
For RAM, I would suggest Corsair Vengenace LPX DDR4 16GB (8GB x 2), 3000 MHz.
I think a 2TB mechanical HDD is a must for bulk data storage. I suggest Seagate Barracuda 2TB.
Graphics Card I have already suggested i.e. GTX 1660
NVMe SSD is good but why you are going with two units?
And Yes, the PC is good enough for basic to mid-level 4K editing.

Marcus RoqueFebruary 18, 2020

Hi Mr. Verma, thank you so much for your time and expertise.

I ordered four 8GB 3000 MHz memories sticks for a total of 32GB of RAM system. This model is listed as ok on the Asus website. I couldn’t find Corsair memory at a reasonable price.

The reason why I picked up the x570 instead of the B450 chipset, was because I’m thinking about future upgrades based on PCI 4.0 technology and more powerful Rysen 3rd gen or even 4 gen, among other improvements

Why two NVMe units? Well, I thought using one for the operational system and the other for ongoing projects. They also provide a clean environment as they do not require cables. This model is very fast. They claim 3500MB/s read and 1200MB/s for writing.

I already have two 1GB 7200 RPM Barracudas for bulk storage. It is ok to stick with them for now?

Hi mate, can u plz help me out choosing a right gpu basically for video editing( premiere pro). I live in Australia, its very expensive compare to US we r paying almost 3 times more $$$ than in US even after $ exchange. I am planning to buy AMD RADEON RX590 fat boy core edition which is still cost me AUD 292$. But after seeing all those reviews I am not 100% sure about this one will do the job for me, I am looking for you expert suggestions that will ended buying a right one for me

I suggest you to go for the MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER VENTUS XS OC. Nvidia cards perform better in Adobe applications (premiere pro etc.) compared to AMD. GTX 1650 SUPER is very power efficient and you get the mentioned model at around AUD 280.